Hong Kong parents must take lead in obesity battle
Big Macs in Hong Kong arguably contain more fat and cholesterol than anywhere else in the world. They are the highest in calories, too, along with those dished out in the United States, according to news reports quoting figures from the fast food chain's website.

Get children off the streets into school
As dusk fell on the northern Chinese city of Zhengzhou, a 13-year-old boy huddled against the February cold on a steam grate, waiting for another aimless day to break. Without a place to call home, Zhou Ning made a bed out of a cotton quilt spread out on the pavement in front of the Henan provincial capital's railway station.

Laughter is best medicine for children
The mother apparently didn't lock her son in a suitcase to cause him any bodily harm. On the contrary, she wanted to protect him. At least that's what she said on the day the tragedy unfolded in Hong Kong last week. She returned to her flat an hour later and unlocked the suitcase, only to find that the 10-year-old had stopped breathing.

A card game that fights severe crimes
Playing card games in China could be more than just a pastime. You may stumble on a small fortune if you keep your eyes open for the faces on the cards and those around you.

Widening urban-rural disparities
Building a "harmonious society" is today the catchphrase of China's political life, and is set to stay that way for many years to come. The road towards that goal, however, is long and arduous, for we have to overcome the widening rural-urban disparities, soaring wealth gap between the rich and the poor and unemployment. The list could go on.

Geisha movie stirs a debate
"Memoirs of a Geisha" is eagerly awaited in China, but perhaps for all the wrong reasons.

Winning medals or winning hearts
The times they are a-changin', sang Bob Dylan in the 1960s. But even he didn't have any idea about how much the world would change in the next 40 years. The world's economies, communications, cultures and international relations have all changed beyond recognition, as has the world of sports.

The century of China and India?
Together, they are home to one-third of the world's population. Both have thousands of years of history. Both opened up their economy in the past quarter of a century. Both have been growing rapidly, one at a spectacular 9 per cent plus, the other at nearly 6 per cent.

Turn your fingers into chopsticks
Hand-to-mouth existence. The hand that feeds the mouth. These are common phrases even in today's IT-driven world. Bring in a medium between the hand and the mouth and a phrase, more often than not, takes a negative twist.

Watchdog will be free to bite hand that feeds
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary," said the fourth President of the United States of America, James Madison. No government can govern the people properly without the rule of law. This rule of law undergoes changes with changing times, and that is exactly what is happening at a rapid pace in China today, especially in the criminal justice system.

Health for everyone
In pluralistic Hong Kong, residents never hesitate to take the government to task over real or imagined deficiencies in public services. But this vocal community is rarely heard complaining about the inaccessibility of healthcare services or exorbitant hospital charges. Even the poorest group is assured of good health services, thanks to the government's fundamental philosophy - no one should be denied proper medical care.

Education for poor children
Statistics, they say, conceal more than they reveal. Not always, though.